This contrasts hugely with Euro 2004, where UK advertising went overboard to link with the football tournament in Portugal, which was won by underdogs Greece.
While interest in the Olympics in the UK is lagging, the story is not same elsewhere. In sports-mad Australia, which hosted the Olypmics in 2000, 70% of all advertising and marketing activity is expected to be related to the games. This figure rises to 90% when only the top 10 advertisers are taken into consideration.
Other Olympics-mad countries include Italy, with a figure of 60%, and Brazil, with 33%.
Languishing down the more apathetic end of the table with the UK is Spain, which like the UK, is on 3%, while Turkey, neighbour to Olympic's host Greece, and Switzerland are both unlikely to have any Olympics-related advertising or promotions.
In the US, where seven of the 11 international sponsors come from, and with NBC carrying more than 1,200 hours of coverage, interest is relatively high nationally, but varies greatly across the country from high levels in Hawaii and Portland, Oregon, to much lower in Minneapolis and Atlanta.
The research has been been undertaken by independent communications network ICOM, based in Colorado. It asked its members to rank on a scale of one to five the importance of Olympic-related marketing in their markets.
The Olympics kick off in Athens next weekend.
Percentage of advertising and marketing activity just prior and during the event that is Olympic-related:
Australia 70%; among top 10 advertisers 90%
Italy 60%
Guatemala 50%
Argentina 40%-50%
Brazil 33% of ads; (60% including promotions)
The Netherlands 30%
Indonesia 30%
Mexico 25%-30%
Dominican Republic 10%-20%
Belgium 15%
Israel 10%-15%
Philippines 10%-15%
Pakistan 10%-12%
Malaysia 10%
New Zealand less than 10%
Colombia 8%-10%
Germany 5%-10%
Venezuela less than 5%
Spain 3%-4%
UK 3%
Turkey negligible
Switzerland 0
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